Page 48 of Storm Warning

But she might not experience a helicopter flight with Hawk as the pilot because Remi hadn’t budged, she hadn’tfollowed him. He grunted under his breath. She was going to need some strong nudging.

Remi stared at the helicopter, a battle raging in her eyes.

And Hawk stared too, like an idiot, but for a different reason. The thick, lush greenery behind her framed her. Her auburn hair hung long and tangled. Even exhausted, her eyes were bright, but torment lurked in her gaze.

He couldn’t put it into words, even in his own mind, but on some deeper level, he understood. Hawk didn’t know Remi’s favorite color or what sauce she dipped her French fries in, but in the way that counted right now, heknewher. Or he was just a fool desperate enough to play games with himself.

He closed the distance and gently gripped her arms, unsure of how she would react. Hawk couldn’t force her, and maybe he shouldn’t act like he was the one running the show. But this was a good plan.

Why couldn’t Remi see that? “You’re one of the strongest people I know.”

And he meant it. She’d been through something so horrible that her mind had shut off the memories, and her mind needed to get with the program or whatever stayed in the shadows could get her killed.

If they didn’t act.

He intended to do everything in his power to keep her safe and end Cole’s pursuit.

“This is our fastest way out of here. Did you forget that your life is in danger?”

He was surprised she wasn’t already dead. And that scared him the most—once Cole was done playing games, he would end her. Could Hawk stand in his way and save her? Would he lose his life in that effort? He was willing to die, but he wanted to save them all. Save Remi and stay alive too, long enough to bring Cole back to the light.

Say something!

Finally, Remi’s expression shifted. She sucked in a breath. “And my life won’t be in danger inthatthing? It looks old. I’m sorry, Hawk, no offense, but frankly, it looks like a piece of junk.” She bit her lip.

He pressed a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Remi Grant.” This was what he could afford on his slim salary plus some of his inheritance. “This is my baby. My project.”

“I’m not sure I want to go up in stormy weather in your project helicopter.”

“You don’t get it, do you? She might not be beautiful, but everything bad that could happen has already happened to her. She’s solid.” He blinked the raindrops from his eyes. He couldn’t hold back anymore if he was going to get her in his bird. “Listen, you know I flew a helicopter for the Army as a Night Stalker. The pilots who fly special ops units—think Navy SEALs—to their covert missions. That means I can fly anything, anytime, anywhere in the world.”

He’d said it with conviction, bringing that emotion all the way from deep in his core.And, like my baby right here, everything bad that could happen has already happened.Except, well, he hadn’t died. “I can get us where we need to go.”

An icy wind slapped at his back, and that meant he was running out of time. He could fly this bird in a storm, but every helicopter and every pilot had a limit. Nor did he want to make this experience worse for Remi. If the storm picked up too much, she would never fly again.

Please.

Shrugging out of his grip, she stomped to the chopper.

“No, Remi. Get in on the left side. Helicopter pilots sit on the right.” She’d been a photographer and probably had flown in helicopters with two pilots, so this wasn’t something he would expect her to know. Though even in thatcase, the PIC—pilot in command—sat on the right. Usually but not always.

After she sent a handful of dagger stares his way, she slowly got in. Not like he wanted her going into this with a bad attitude, already deciding she hated it, but her safety was what mattered now. He’d gotten her inside his project bird, and that was enough for now.

He did a quick preflight check—rotors were clear of debris. Plenty of space to fly out of here. After finishing the mental list, he did a final walk-around and then jumped inside before Remi changed her mind.

He got in and put on his headset. Handed her one too so they could talk. Then he powered up, reviewed the weather, and focused on getting them in the air while he still could. With the inclement weather, he’d have to fly IFR—instrument flight rules—and he filed a verbal flight plan since he had no time for anything else. If something happened to them, someone needed to know where to find them. He wanted to get in the air before the wind became too much—and before Cole tracked them.

When the helicopter lifted off the ground, she sucked in a breath.

Then she did it again, and again.

Much too fast.

“You’re going to hyperventilate. Close your eyes. Think about something else.” He steadied the bird, focusing on lifting out of the trees. He had to get high before Remi entertained thoughts of jumping out.

Grinding his molars, he mentally berated himself for being much too hard on her. She was suffering from PTSD on multiple levels of which he couldn’t begin to understand, even with his own struggles. She’d experienced such trauma that her mind had shut it away from her.

As for his experiences? His memories?

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